Remembering M. Oscar de la Renta

Tonight I am wearing the iconic Oscar eau de toilette (1977) and once again thinking about the wonderful designer and sensitive man behind this beautiful fragrance and all of his beautiful gowns, Oscar, the man who loved both beauty and the feminine and could not separate the two. There are a countless number of men in this world who like women [ahem], but I think the number of men who truly love women and adore their company is a much smaller number. Oscar was one of those men. You witness it in his beautiful gowns and in his delicious, romantic fragrances.

Oscar dressed some of the most famous and most beautiful women of the 20th century. He worked for Lanvin and Balmain until he founded his own house which had boutiques in the most famous cities around the world including London and New York. His is one of the most recognised names of the last century. Yet, he was the gentlest, most modest soul you could ever hope to meet. (I think of him as the fashion world's counterpart to James Taylor. They even look somewhat alike--both are quite tall with intelligent eyes, a gentle demeanour, and bemused smiles, yes?)

I recall sadly learning of his passing in October 2014, five years ago this month. I knew that the world had lost one of its brightest stars and most unique of men. I am glad of his memory and of his legacy to us all, and I am glad we still have his fragrances in production, especially his first, Oscar, from 1977, which is so beautiful and romantic. I fell in love with this fragrance at first sniff and still love it today, and every time I wear it or even just think of it, I think of the man who created it and feel so very sad he is no longer with us.

Anyone else have any memories or thoughts to share about this lovely man and his divine creations?

My mom had a bottle of his eponymous fragrance, given to her as a birthday present. She hated it and promptly passed it over to me. I wasn't crazy about it but I was in love with the bottle. I wore it for about six months before I decided I could not stomach it any longer. I found it too sweet and too powdery. Unfortunately, that first experience has colored my view of the entire perfume house. I haven't smelled it since but I'd be curious if my opinion has changed.

It might have done, Exciter76. I know my tastes have changed back and forth over the decades more with food than anything, but sometimes after I have used a fragrance a few times, I like it much more than the first time I sniffed it. Do you like Heure Bleue? It is not the same, but it in that vein. Try it again with an open mind. You never know....

I love L'Heure Bleue so much! I'll try to get a sample of Oscar and see it through a forty-three-year-old's filter. Sixteen-year-old me wasn't quite as refined.

I ADORE L'Heure Bleue, too!! I read somewhere that Oscar was meant to be a tribute to L'Heure Bleue. They are not the same, but as I said, they are from the same page as t'were. Please let us know what you think after you try Oscar again. I only have the EdT, and it is not a very old bottle. I think it is reformulated, but it is still nice. The original was even nicer. For the price point, even the reformulation is worth owning. I feel nostalgic every time I wear it.